Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1887-01-22
A BRAVE LADY. /.
How "Her Royal Highness' Fought
for Her Life.

Only those who have experienced it
can realize the excitement caused by
witnessing q hand-to-hand conflict be-
tween two savage, untamed beasts. I
have witnessed bull fights in Mexico,
and seen python crush the life out of
calf in South America, but never
gazed on a more thrilling episode than
on one hot Algerian night at water
pool about two hundred miles in the in
terror Beside the pool were several
trees of fair size, in the punches of
one of which had been placed small
platform hidden among the clustered
leaves. from which hiding place it was
convenient to shoot any animals that
might come to the pool to drink during
the night. Thither repaired one even
ing soon after sundown, Maccovoy and
myself, accompanied by his Arab SER
want, young man named Asilla, who
bore our spare guns and acted as gen
eral factotum to us both on expeditions
of this nature. it is difficult for me, in
my cooler moments, to climb tree,
and the smooth, straight stem proved
extremely troublesome to swarm. How
ever, with the help Of Mac and Asilla,
managed it and secured comfortable
perch. They followed with great IA
cility, being both slight, active men,
and ut once made the guns ready.
The moon rose gradually, and had a
good opportunity to study perfect si-
lence. Nothing can be more deeply
silent than still night in the desert.
As there is little or no vegetation in
these vast oceans of sand, there is no
insect life, and for several hours ssfe~-
the moon rose absolute silence reigned.
We did not speak. There was no
wind. 1t seemed as if there was
no living thing in that wide
spread expanse of country. I
was beginning to feel sleepy and nod
frequently, when a prolonged roar
sounded close at hand. In an instant
we We're wide awake and grasped our
guns nervously. At the next instant
the roar was answered from location
immediately beneath us. On looking
down we saw q ioness, lying on her
belly, her head between her paws, and
her long tail waiying luxuriously to and
fro She looked like huge cat enjoy
ing some pleasurable sensation. Almost
Instantly third .'woof! woof,n
sounded at our backs. Cad, Doc!"
breathcd Mac, 1--WE are in for bag to-
nightw and n moment later two mag
niticent males stepped slowly and ma
jestically into view The female con-
tinucd to purr and wave her tail gently.
As soon as the two lions spied each
other they prepared for action. Slowly
and carefully they neared each other,
the lioness meanwhile Watching them
as Il cat does 4 mouse. Closer and
closer they drew, while we, spellbound,
reserved our fire to witness the terri
BILE duel that was impending.
And now they crouch and with mu-
tual rOars of rage spring ut each other,
and. meeting, in midleap, fall, biting
and tearing, to the earth. We can
hear their bones crush between their
powerful jaws like egg-shels beneath a
mans boot-heel. The lioness, main
tanning her tranquil attitude, watched
the conflict, as it seemed to my excited
eyes, with a devilish smile on her face.
Over and over they rolled, while the
sickening sound of champing bones
filled the air, mingled with their fran
tic roaring and the movement of their
BODIES rs tneV 1nraSleu through the
whirling sand. BY this time my nerves
were so wrought up that 1 could stand
the terrific spectacle no longer,
and, taking deliberate aim at
the lioness, behind her shoulder
blade, let fly. Above the rumble of
the smooth-bore sounded the shrek of
the loness as the heavy ball crashed
into her vitals. The two duelists at
once ceased their encounter, and as one
of them turned he received Maccovoy's
rifle bullet in the head, the missile
piercing the hollow over the eye, where
the skull is weak, and entering the
brain; death was almost instantaneous
The other male with a laundering
"woofH' gave mighty spring and
landed half way up the tree trunk,
nearly shaking us from our perch.
AsilIa hastily discharged one of the
spare guns, stap-bang into his face, but
probably the charge only grazed him,
for falling back he disappeared into
the darkness toward where the means
and cries of the lioness grew fainter
and fainter every moment